Precision Inventory Control and Accountability:
SmartShelf™ Technology

Overview

 SmartShelf™ is a hardware and software system for asset management applications in which it is necessary to know the physical location of controlled items at all times. It provides an inexpensive method to maintain 100%, 24-hour surveillance of stored items and/or facility assets, and to maintain records of access to assets by personnel. Reports of current inventory in storage, employee activity, access to particular assets, or any other system feature are available in minutes and on demand. SmartShelf™ provides the who, what, when, and where of asset management.

Features

  • Uses inexpensive electronic serial numbers to identify uniquely monitored asset
  • Uses Microsoft® Access database system to organize information. Easy to query; handles large databases; fast; programmable
  • Automatic location of items in storage
  • Automatic detection of theft of items
  • Automatic identification of personnel accessing the system
  • Robust, distributed computing system: System remains viable even if some parts fail
  • Automatic detection of system problems
  • Automatic notification of violations, automatic recording of system activity
  • Configurable to suit your needs
         

System Operation
SmartShelf™ keeps track of controlled items via electronic buttons attached by the user to the items. Attachment may be effected by adhesives, straps, spot welding, or by the use of specially designed retainer plates. Buttons are 16 mm in diameter, 5 mm high, made from stainless steel and house an electronic integrated circuit that is laser-engraved at the time of fabrication with a permanent unique serial number. Authorized personnel are issued identification buttons with which they make themselves known to the system when accessing controlled items.       Click for larger image.
Monitored containers (click on image for expanded view)

Each controlled item is electronically connected to a SmartShelf™ node for surveillance. Nodes are chained together, and up to 8 chains, connecting hundreds of nodes, are connected to a node computer. Many node computers can be chained together and connected to a desktop personal computer running Microsoft® Access. In this way thousands of nodes and controlled items may be monitored from a single central site.

SmartShelf™ continuously monitors itself to verify the presence of its nodes. Alarms are raised if nodes are lost or disabled. Each node is also queried to determine if a controlled item has been attached or removed. During the access protocol, an authorized operator is required to present his or her identification button to the system, and if this is not done according to protocol, an alarm is raised.

SmartShelf™ has been designed to be robust in the face of loss of parts of the system. The central computer can raise an alarm when it detects that a node computer has failed, but will continue to monitor other working node computers. Similarly, should the central computer fail, the node computers will continue their surveillance and simply store records of activity in local memory until the central computer is restored. Discrepancies between the expected inventory and actual inventory are resolved when the restored hardware becomes operational.

Microsoft® Access is used to store the information about activity at nodes. The database can be queried to determine the frequency of access by personnel, the current inventory, the status of any item, or any other attribute. New queries and reports can be designed with ease by the end user familiar with Access.

Deployment Images (click on image for expanded view)

SmartShelf™ deployment
Operator presenting ID to connect a container
Operator connecting container to the SmartShelf™ system
System Administrator checking inventory

Hardware/Software Requirements

 The following should be considered minimum requirements for user-supplied equipment:
  • Intel 133 MHz Pentium-based computer with 32 MB RAM, 2 RS 232 Serial ports, 1 RS 485 Serial port
  • Microsoft® Access 7.0
The following items should be procured by the user prior to installation of the SmartShelf™ system. All are readily available from electronics suppliers.
  • 24- or 26-gauge 4-conductor flat modular telephone wire sufficient to reach all items to be monitored
  • 6-position 4-conductor modular telephone plugs (2 per node)
  • Modular telephone plug crimping tool(s)


For more information, contact
Mr. Chris A. Pickett
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Voice: (865) 574-0891       Fax: (865) 241-4412
email: pickettca@ornl.gov

NOTICE TO USERS: Use of this system constitutes consent to security monitoring and testing.
All activity is logged with your host name and IP address.